A Little Angel Named Aliyah

How can one describe being a daddy? The gift of life often defies the ability of language to capture the truly intense emotion that defines being a father. There are many different types of fathers. Some are present. Some are not. Some connect. Some don't. Some uplift. Some tear down. Some see a blessing. Others see a burden. I pray my life, as a husband and father (currently of 3) will always be the former in each example. I'm in awe of each of my children. They remind me of what adults should be--curious, passionate, uncomplicated, loving, and eager to learn. My newest little angel arrived in October, and she has tugged on my heart just like my other two munchkins. Love is forever an evolving thing. Just when you think you've loved with all you have, you find you've only begun to tap into that wellspring of affection.

I understand how God sees us, His children, in a way no one can understand until you hold that child closely and cling to her as if you never want to let go. I get a glimpse of what it's like to want to move heaven and earth so that the ones you've created will know that you did it simply because you love them. I will do all I humanly can to be the kind of father that my children need. I pray that I will always be the husband that provides an environment where my wife can be the loving mother she is so naturally.

I've been given 3 beautiful responsibilities that will always know their daddy loves them no matter what. And although actions speak louder, I hope I never give up trying to find the words to tell them, every day, how much I love them.

Ryan Scott Bomberger is a media professional serving as a Creative Director in Atlanta, GA.

© 2008 Ryan Scott Bomberger. For more information, visit: http://www.thisisryan.com

SAFE, LEGAL AND RARE?

Let me start by saying, abortion is a VERY difficult, heart-wrenching issue in which a man can never truly appreciate its full depth.  However, it transcends politics and cuts right to the core of our humanity.  At some point, we reap from the efforts we've set forth to define who we are and how we value life, on both ends of the chronological spectrum.  We live in a culture that is fascinated with death. Our tv shows are saturated with it, our video games explode with it, and our music celebrates it.  The Abortion Issue defines the very core of our society.  And it's always worth conversation--the verbal tugging and pulling--and all-the-while moving closer to what it all really truly means.  Throw away the semantics. Throw away the politically designed vernacular and let's talk explicitly...not about choice (for a candy bar, soda, school...such an innocuous and ever-evading word 'choice' has become), but about the very future of our beautiful American society. 

I've been vocally anti-abortion/pro-child (any child, any defect, any circumstance) since I did a persuasive speech in Mrs. Jennings 8th grade class (she was an AMAZING teacher).  The politics of abortion weren't as intense then, at least in the public schools.  I was able to speak honestly and factually about it, undeterred by the censors of today's public education system.

Flash forward to the bizarre, upside-down rationale of today's society and it's considered increasingly intolerant and ignorant to discuss openly and honestly the issue of abortion than to simply subscribe to the slogan-based, celebrity-led, chic status of the pro-choice (Pro-Abortion) crowd.  Planned Parenthood, like PETA, has a penchant for the extreme offense. It makes for great PR. But their efforts take us no closer to the truth, and certainly no closer to any common ground (not that common ground is the highest virtue).  Seemingly content to shout obnoxiously than converse meaningfully, Planned Parenthood continues to flaunt its hypocrisy when it comes to privacy.  Recently, they fought against the seizing of personal records of abortion patients by the State Attorney General of Indiana who sought the records of 84 clients (allegedly under the age of 14). Planned Parenthood filed suit claiming, primarily, a breach of 'constitutionally protected' privacy.

It's funny how privacy is such a convenient weapon.

Planned Parenthood (on their website originally and now through surrogates such as www.clamormagazine.com) is more than eager to sell shirts for women to publicly proclaim "I HAD AN ABORTION"...a triumphant statement, an action steeped in pride, a mantra for a brave new generation of young women?  What happened to the ever sacred privacy? Safe, legal and rare is a myth.  Abortion is a multi-billion dollar industry, and apparently apparel adds some more zeros to this industry's yearly figures.

Ryan Scott Bomberger is a media professional serving as a Creative Director in Atlanta, GA.

© 2006 Ryan Scott Bomberger. For more information, visit: http://www.thisisryan.com

Black, White, Tan

Color. It's a phenomenon of light that relies on reflection and perception. Change the atmosphere, the environment, and what appears to be one color one moment, takes on a different hue all together the next. Yet, somehow, we are fixated. We can't seem to take our mind off the momentary reflection. Now, don't get me wrong. Color is beautiful. It is inspiring. But it's only temporal.

Just as the sky is painted in beautifully diverse strokes by day and dusk, the same strokes give way to the color of night. Instead of embracing color and enjoying the canvas it paints for us on a daily basis, there are those who would rather draw lines, create categories, and enforce unknown boundaries based upon a fleeting reflection of light. Reflections can be so misleading and so unfulfilling. Just think of an instance when you saw someone's reflection in a window or mirror, but upon a close encounter, you realized you saw a distortion, something that didn't represent the reflection at all. In the same way, the reflection shouldn't be where our perception ends.

It's the substance that lies beneath.

As one who has grown up in a multi-racial family, I can truly appreciate the normalcy of the insignificance of color. We love our diversity...different shades, shapes, talents, and personalities....so don't get me wrong, the veneer is nice, but it’s just a covering. It takes an intentional, deliberate desire to see the person and the worth within.

The vultures of the dying civil rights victimology industry demand that we see only the reflections, and immediately classify, categorize, and criticize each other. They continue to circle around picking away at the carcasses of the memories of those who blazed paths that led to us focusing on the content of our character and NOT the color of our skin. Their diatribes are divisive, and their rhetoric is downright rabid. The mouthpieces of the media-embraced church of victimology continue their rants, foaming at the mouth about reparations, segregation, and social justice (often at the expense of denying justice to others). Undeniably, there exists racism and inequality and, well, humans who will always wallow in weakness and the destructive proclivities that make us so, human. But racism also knows no racial boundaries. No single race has a monopoly on this repugnant human behavior.

But the voices of division will continue to spew their venomous vituperation—hate that gets dressed up in oxymoronic political correctness. Howard Dean, Jesse Jackson, Cynthia McKinney, Louis Farakahn, Kweisi Mfume, Janeane Garofalo, Julian Bond, Harry Belafonte, Kanye West, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Al Sharpton, Tim Wise...you get the point.

There is so much the binds us together, more so than what should EVER tear us apart. Our color is a mere reflection that can change from sunlight to moonlight. Who we are, and what we stand for, what we so ardently believe...these are what lie beneath the reflection in the deep pools of introspection and discovery. And it's there that we find that it's not whether we're black, white or tan on the outside but rather if what's on the inside is ever illuminated, it reflects character, integrity, love and compassion. These are qualities that know no color.

THE PROMISE OF PURPOSE

Recently, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak at a luncheon and share some of my life's experiences with a group of graduating seniors. These weren't just any seniors. They have a special attribute which ties me ever closer to their hearts. They are foster teens now facing the reality of transitioning out of foster care and entering into the uncertainty and responsibility of independent living. They have had their fill of challenges and hardships already in their young lives. Some may never have known a stable family life, with someone constantly reaffirming their worth and their potential. But there is a simple truth that once uttered can never be silenced. No one is devoid of purpose. No one is exempt from promise. Our culture of defeatism and excuses tries to erode the very foundation that all of us are placed upon. A foundation rooted in a simple Biblical principle, that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made.

I am a child born of rape. But that makes me no less a purposed person than the next. Though many in our society claim that children born of my circumstances will be unwanted and unloved and would be better off not facing such a cruel world, the truth is the exact opposite. The world needs people like me, like these teens who can show the world that though we faced seemingly
insurmountable odds, we are children of purpose. We survive. We strive. And we can achieve great things. The last few words I left with these teens were that there is nothing that can keep you from your dreams. Discouragement is all around, but we choose how long we wade in those shallow pools. We are filled with hope because we know that we have a destiny calling for us to follow upon a path uncertain with a promise so certain. Each one of us is what the next person could never be. How beautiful is that?

And knowing that truth gives us a future.

Ryan Scott Bomberger is a media professional serving as a Creative Director in Atlanta, GA.

© 2005 Ryan Scott Bomberger. For more information, visit: http://www.thisisryan.com